File translation methods, systems, and apparatuses for extended commerce

• US 7,810,025 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ivalua SAS
• Original Assignee: Directworks, Inc. (Ivalua Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berlin, Richard P., Blair, William R, Allamon, John E. Sr., Gee, David A., Gummadapu, Venkata Paparao
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US11/208,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,871 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/229, 715/239, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks

Abstract

A first file is received in a first format. The first format is determined. A converter is selected based on the first format. Using the converter, the first file is translated to at least one second file. The second file has a second format.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first file in a first format;

determining said first format as a native format associated with a specific application programming interface corresponding to a native software application used to create the first file;

selecting a converter associated with said native software application based on said first format; and

translating said first file to at least one second file having a second format using said converter by;

(a) invoking said converter based on said first format;

(b) invoking the application programming interface; and

(c) based on the application programming interface, extracting descriptive data embedded in and/or defined by the content of the first file;

wherein the descriptive data comprises at least one of the following;

at least one attribute of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one physical property of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one feature of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one entity of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

or any combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first file further comprises:

receiving said first file by a processor at a host processing node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said first format further comprises:

applying a rule engine to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein applying a rule engine comprises:

identifying at least one format type indicator in said first file to a byte pattern, wherein said byte pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats; and

identifying said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said byte pattern.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein applying a rule engine comprises:

identifying at least one format type indicator in said first file to a string pattern, wherein said string pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats; and

identifying said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said string pattern.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein applying a rule engine comprises:

identifying at least one format type indicator in said first file to a content based identifier, wherein said content based identifier is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats; and

identifying said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said content based identifier.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein applying a rule engine comprises applying an extensible markup language (XML) based rule engine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a converter comprises:

identifying a file extension of said first file; and

applying a set of rule engines based on said file extension to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats based on said file extension.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

hosting said second file in said second format at a host processing node.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

translating said first file to a third file having said second format using said converter, wherein said third file comprises a first view of said first file and said at least one second file comprises a second view of said first.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor to receive a first file in a first format;

determine said first format as a native format associated with a specific application programming interface corresponding to a native software application used to create the first file;

select a converter associated with said native software application based on said first format; and

translate said first file to a second file having a second format using said converter by (a) invoking said converter based on said first format;

(b) invoking the application programming interface; and

(c) based on the application programming interface, extracting descriptive data embedded in and/or defined by the content of the first file;

wherein the descriptive data comprises at least one of the following;

at least one attribute of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one physical property of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one feature of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one entity of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

or any combination thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor is to apply a rule engine to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a byte pattern, wherein said byte pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said byte pattern.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a string pattern, wherein said string pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said string pattern.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a content based identifier, wherein said content based identifier is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said content based identifier.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is to apply an extensible markup language (XML) based rule engine.

17. The apparatus method of claim 11, wherein said processor is to identify a file extension of said first file;

and to apply a set of rule engines based on said file extension to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats based on said file extension.

18. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a processor to receive a first file in a first format;

determine said first format as a native format associated with a specific application programming interface corresponding to a native software application used to create the first file;

select a converter associated with said native software application based on said first format; and

translate said first file to a second file having a second format using said converter by (a) invoking said converter based on said first format;

(b) invoking the application programming interface; and

(c) based on the application programming interface, extracting descriptive data embedded in and/or defined by the content of the first file;

wherein the descriptive data comprises at least one of the following;

at least one attribute of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one physical property of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one feature of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

at least one entity of at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased;

or any combination thereof.

19. The article of claim 18, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to apply a rule engine to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats.

20. The article of claim 19, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a byte pattern, wherein said byte pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said byte pattern.

21. The article of claim 19, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a string pattern, wherein said string pattern is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said string pattern.

22. The article of claim 19, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to identify at least one format type indicator in said first file to a content based identifier, wherein said content based identifier is representative of at least one of said plurality of file formats;

and to identify said first format when said at least one format type indicator matches said content based identifier.

23. The article of claim 19, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to apply an extensible markup language (XML) based rule engine.

24. The article of claim 18, comprising instructions that if executed enable the processor to identify a file extension of said first file;

and to apply a set of rule engines based on said file extension to said first file to compare said first format to a plurality of file formats based on said file extension.

25. A system, comprising:

a host processing node comprising a processor;

wherein said host processing node is in communication with at least one client node comprising a browser;

wherein said processor is to receive a first file in a first format from said client node;

determine said first format as a native format associated with a specific application programming interface corresponding to a native software application used to create the first file;

select a converter associated with said native software application based on said first format;

translate said first file to a second file having a second format using said converter; and

transmit an application framework to said at least one client node, wherein said application framework is configured to graphically display at least one item comprising an entity that is manufactured or purchased based at least in part upon a portion of the content of said second file in said second format without using the native software application used to generate said content in said first file in said first format.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said application framework interacts with said second file to perform at least any of:

rotate an image representing said contents of said second file;

explode graphical components of said image, wherein said image represents an assembly of components;

assemble graphical components of said image, wherein said image represents an assembly of components;

auto-dimension said image;

pan said image;

scan said image using Optical Character Recognition (OCR); and

zoom a view of said image.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said one or more view states comprises at least one of:

a cropped image state, wherein said cropped image state represents contents of said second file;

removing background colors from said image;

annotating said image; and

blotting said image.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein said application framework and said processor are to construct and display at least one message thread, wherein said at least one second file is the subject of said at least one message thread.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein said application framework and said processor are to construct and display at least one view state of said content of said second file, wherein said at least one view state is embedded in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) header of said second file.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein said processor initiates an email to said one or more client nodes, wherein said email comprises a web link that when executed launches said application framework.